BELL – A former Bell police officer suspected of forcing a woman to have sex with him following a traffic stop was arrested today, a federal prosecutor said.

Feliciano Sanchez, 33, of Pico Rivera, is accused of stopping the woman on May 16, 2007, then driving her to a remote location and making her perform a sex act, said Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney’s office.

He was arrested by FBI agents on a federal indictment that charged him with “violating a woman’s civil rights by forcing her to have sex with him while he was in uniform,” Mrozek said.

Sanchez, who was terminated from the Bell Police Department in September 2007, was expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon in U.S. District court in Los Angeles, Mrozek said.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted him yesterday for alleged deprivation of rights under color of law and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, Mrozek said.

The civil rights charge alleged that Sanchez was armed during the aggravated sexual assault, which involved the kidnapping of the victim, Mrozek said.

“Police officers are supposed to assist residents, not brutalize them,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “This indictment outlines a disturbing incident in which Officer Sanchez allegedly used his badge and gun to sexually assault a female motorist. We simply will not tolerate this kind of conduct by law enforcement officials.”

The civil rights charge carries a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. The gun charge would add five years to any sentence Sanchez receives for the civil rights offense.

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